Visual Management: A Picture is Worth...

Visual Management is a powerful communication tool that simplifies and accelerates the process of making people aware of exactly the right thing to do in various situations via the use of easily understood images or signals.

It enables a person to assess the status of the situation at a glance. Consequently, people can get far more done, more quickly, with fewer errors and without the intervention of others.  

Imagine… faster response time, fewer mistakes, increased safety, higher productivity!

In a recent series of roundtable meetings with process improvement specialists we discussed the topic of visual management, and learned it has many benefits and has been effective in improving results in different ways.

Among the benefits cited were:

·         Speed of execution in a time-sensitive process        

·         Reduced number of OSHA-reportable accidents

·         Fewer errors in production, materials management, maintenance, and office operations

·         Faster process analysis and improvements

·         Reduced inventory and fewer stock-outs

·         Higher productivity and throughput

·         Better team-work and more engaged employees

Our discussions also identified two types of Visual Management tools:

1.    Tools that indicate quickly and reliably what actions to take and not to take in order to maintain process control

2.    Teamwork tools that communicate how a process is performing compared to an agreed upon standard or goal, so the people doing the work can easily spot and implement the needed adjustments or improvements

Some of the specific examples of how visual management is being used in various organizations included:

·         The use of color-coded grease by a manufacturer (color of the grease container must match the color painted onto the machine) to make sure that only the correct grease is used on a machine. This greatly reduces the chance of an expensive maintenance error.

·         A grocery store improved compliance with the placement of aisle displays by using premeasured floor markings at the right places. Previously, store personnel had to measure every time they set up a new aisle display to ensure it was placed with proper clearance.

·         A nuclear power plant reduced by 83% the time required to push the 48 non-sequential buttons in the sequence required in emergency situations to shut down the reactor by color coding the buttons to flag the sequence.

·         Shadow boards are used by nearly everyone. They display outlines that indicate exactly what must be on the board and where it must be. Shadow boards have drastically reduced the frequency with which items are missing as well as the time that is consumed looking for the item.

·         The office equivalent of shadow boards is also in use. One Partner uses ‘conditional formatting’ on forms so that if key data is missing it stands out with a highlighted ‘fill.’ When the field is completed, the highlighting disappears. Everyone knows not to hand in a form with any spaces still highlighted.

·         A manufacturer reduced safety incidents by using neon colored gloves and changing the colors at regular intervals.

·         One participant uses wall markings to ensure pallets are not stacked over a safe height.

·         Several manufacturers use tape or paint on the floor for traffic control and to indicate where things go.

In summary of the discussion, one participant shared an all-encompassing quote, “Keep simple things simple; and make complicated things much simpler.”